The advent of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) has enhanced the use and functionality of computers. For example, if an operating system permits multiple applications to run "simultaneously", each application is typically associated with one or more graphical windows which appear on a computer display screen. "Simultaneously" is intended to mean from a user's viewpoint and not necessarily actually concurrently executing applications. The user may have the ability to switch between different applications executing on a computer by selecting and manipulating icons and windows which appear on the computer display. For example, a word processing application might be accessible through one window appearing on the display. A spreadsheet application might be accessible through another window appearing on the display. Alternatively a single application may have a number of windows displayed at any given time.
The windows associated with the applications are referred to as application windows. The windows could be arranged in any number of ways on the computer display. For example, these windows might (1) take up an entire display screen, (2) appear to be tiled such that they do not overlap, or (3) they might overlap. Examples of operating systems incorporating GUI functionality include the Microsoft Windows.TM., Windows 95, and Windows NT operating systems (Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.), the Apple Operating System (Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif.), and IBM's OS/2.TM. (IBM Corporation of Armonk, N.Y.).
One disadvantage of some graphical user interfaces is that the user must typically "switch back" to an application in order to set selectable parameters for that application. This switching back and forth can be undesirable.
Consider a video conferencing application such as ProShare.TM. manufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif. ProShare.TM. is a video conferencing system that permits participants to communicate graphical (e.g., video) information with each other. ProShare.TM. permits users to share information (including images and documents) on their respective displays with each other. This is particularly useful for concurrently viewing and editing documents. In order to share, however, the ProShare.TM. user must "switch back" to the ProShare.TM. application window to initiate the sharing operation. Then the user must "switch back" to an application window or document window in order to identify the application or document to ProShare.TM. so that it can be shared.
The "switching" process is often referred to as "changing the focus." Thus in order to switch back to the ProShare.TM. application, the user would need to change the focus to the ProShare.TM. application window.
One disadvantage of the "switching" process is that it introduces a number of steps which tend to reduce the intuitiveness of the sharing operation. In order to change the focus to the ProShare.TM. application window, the user must first locate the ProShare.TM. application window. The user may need to search among a number of windows being displayed on the display device to locate the ProShare.TM. application window. Once the ProShare.TM. application window is found, the user would select the sharing option to indicate that some document or application is to be shared with teleconference participants. After the sharing option is selected, the user would indicate the document or application to be shared by selecting the window to be shared. As stated above, this may require searching among a number of windows being displayed at the same time on the display device. If more than a few windows are displayed at the same time, the user may find difficulty in locating the ProShare.TM. application and then the document or application to be shared.
Another disadvantage is that the switching back and forth process may also prove annoying to participants in the video conferencing session.
A method for providing access to a first application in a graphical user interface without changing the focus from an application window that is not associated with the first application is desirable.